


Just a Little Crush

by SugdenLovesDingle



Series: Robron Week 2018 [2]
Category: Emmerdale
Genre: M/M, Robert's teenage crush, Seb Mention, moving into the village
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-26
Updated: 2018-03-26
Packaged: 2019-04-08 16:27:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14109381
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugdenLovesDingle/pseuds/SugdenLovesDingle
Summary: Robron Week Day 2: Past/MemoriesA face from the past shows up in the pub





	Just a Little Crush

“Have you seen the news today?” Paddy asked Aaron as he sat down next to him at his and Robert’s table in the pub.

“Err… I don’t know… what am I supposed to have seen?” Aaron asked.

“Not another terror attack is it?” Robert said and grabbed his phone to check the news.

“No, no, no.... well… I don’t know… maybe? There are so many of them lately, it’s hard to keep track isn’t it? God that’s an awful thing to say. I’m sorry. I should think of the victims and their families. It’s awful - ”

“Paddy.” Aaron interrupted. “What did you want to tell me? About the news?”

“Oh. Right. Yes. Christopher Hartley died in a car accident.”

Aaron frowned.

“Who?”

“That actor you and I both like. You used to watch all of his films with me.”

“I have no idea who you’re talking about.” Aaron said and took a sip from his pint.

“Oh come on, you know the one! From that film we liked!”

“What film?”

“With the shooting! And the one with the car chase. And the western one! You loved that western one when you lived with me!”

“You hate westerns.” Robert commented.

Aaron nodded before laughing at Paddy’s frustration.

“Aaron, we watched that film hundreds of times.”

“I’m sorry Paddy I really have no idea.”

“Wait.” Paddy said, grabbing his phone and typing something before turning the screen towards Aaron. “Here. Him. Remember now?”

“Oh, him.” Aaron said with a grin. “I remember now. Worst actor ever.” He said, showing Robert the phone.

“Worst act- what? Why did you always watch his films with me then?”

Aaron laughed.

“Why do you think Paddy?” He typed something on Paddy’s phone before showing it to Robert who gave him an appreciative nod in return.

“What’s going on here?” Paddy asked, utterly confused.

“I thought he was fit, Paddy. I fancied him.” Aaron said laughingly and gave Paddy his phone back. “He was always shirtless in those films. He’s a shit actor but he was fit.”

“You what? He was almost ten years older than you!”

“What can I say?” Aaron said, grinning at Robert. “I have a thing for older men.”

Robert mock glared at him which only made Aaron laugh.

“I said old _er_ , not old.”

Robert hummed and sipped his drink, still glaring at Aaron but there was a spark in his eye even Paddy noticed. He looked back and forth between the two men and got up from his seat.

“Right. I uh… should go see how your mum’s doing.”

“See ya Paddy.” Aaron said and turned to Robert “So who was your teenage celebrity crush?”

Robert shrugged.

“I don’t know. Didn’t really have one.”

“Bullshit. Everyone has one.”

“I wasn’t really into celebrities and all that. I had plenty of shit going on in my actual life.”

“And I didn’t? My life was a mess but I still had eyes. I still noticed fit lads… even when I didn’t want to admit to myself I thought they were fit.”

“Alright, fine. I had a poster of Buffy the vampire slayer above my bed.” Robert told him. “I liked her. And the show.”

Aaron nodded.

“Buffy the vampire slayer. You really were a teenage geek, weren’t you?” He teased. “And you have a thing for blondes, don’t you?”

“Yeah that’s why I married you, because of your long blonde hair.” Robert rolled his eyes.

“Well there’s Katie, Rebecca, Nicola… Three is a pattern.”

“Katie was only to piss Andy off.” Robert said but Aaron knew how much she’d meant to Robert. “Rebecca was just… there… and Nicola… I don’t know. That was a crush I suppose.”

“But all of them were blonde.” Aaron pointed out. “What about blokes?”

“Are you seriously asking what kind of men I like? Take a look in the mirror.”

“Come on, Rob, tell me. You tell me yours, I’ll tell you mine.”

“I already know yours. Adam. And this Christopher guy.”

“What about that lad that worked on your family’s farm? What was he like?”

\----

“Alright, so you said you have experience with farm work… Stephen?” Moira asked the young man sitting across from her at her kitchen table.

“That’s right. Experience with farm work on a farm around here actually.” He told her. “I worked on the Sugden family’s farm for a summer back when I was 16. My family lived in Connelton, ”

“Really? Do they still live in the area?”

“Not really. My parents moved to Leeds and my sister lives in Bristol now.”

“And what about you? Do you live in the area? Could I call you when one of the cows is in labour and I need help in the middle of the night?”

“Absolutely. I just signed the lease for Jacob’s Fold in the village and we’re hoping to be able to move in on the weekend, so I’ll only be a phone call away.”

Moira smiled.

“Well then, I say we give this a try. How about a two week trial? I’ll show you around and introduce you to Pete who will fill you in on the schedule.”

“Sounds great.” Stephen said and shook her hand. “I was wondering though, do you know if the Sugden family still live around here?”

“Some of them do.” Moira told him while putting on her coat. “Robert and Victoria both live in the village.”

\----

“Seriously?” Robert laughed. “Him? I thought Adam was bad but this is worse.”

“He’s not that bad.” Aaron said looking at the picture on his phone again. “Ok maybe he is. But I was bored and lonely in France ok? Most of the people I knew there were Ed’s friends and when we broke up they all picked his side.”

“I had a crush on this guy I worked with down in London.” Robert admitted after a few minutes. “Before I met Lawrence and Chrissie. I had a job as a dishwasher in this restaurant. He was a waiter.”

“Yeah? What was his name?” Aaron asked, careful not to push too much, Robert might be an out and proud bisexual man now, his past was still a sensitive subject.

“Anthony. Tony. I was 20, he was 22.”

“Yeah? Did anything happen with him?”

Robert snorted.

“No. You know how deep in the closet I was. Especially that soon after leaving this place.”

“But you wanted to.”

“Yeah. Yeah I wanted to. But I wouldn’t let myself want him. Not really.” Robert told him, swirling the last of his beer around in his glass. “Story of my life really, until I met you.”

Aaron covered his hand with his own and gave it a squeeze.

“I just still can’t believe you had a thing with Nicola of all people.” He said and they both laughed.

“She was a different person back then. So was I, I suppose. I was just a stupid kid.”

“Not much has changed then.” Charity said as she walked past their table, collecting empty glasses. “Did you see Joe Tate has found someone stupid enough to rent Jacobs Fold from him? Someone took the ‘to let’ sign down this morning.”

“Or maybe he’s just given up.” Aaron said. “Giving up and leaving the village for good.”

“Oh if only babe, if only.”

“It could be nice, some new people in the village.”

“New customers that don’t know about your sparkling personality yet.” Robert said, draining his pint and holding the empty glass out for Charity to collect.

“Put it on the bar yourself, you lazy sod.”

“It’s your job to collect them! A job you’re doing right now!”

“I wonder what kind of people are moving in.” Charity said, sitting down next to Robert but ignoring his comments. “I hope it’s not another butler or one of his mates… or worse… another Tate.”

“Why don’t you go over there to say hello?” Aaron suggested.

“I can’t, I’m working, aren’t I?” Charity said, getting up from her seat again and making her way back to the bar, leaving the empty glasses behind.

A little while later Aaron had found a discarded gossip magazine and the two of them were wasting some time sitting in their favourite booth, rating celebrities. With Liv in Ireland to visit Sandra and Seb spending the night with his mum and auntie Vic, they were enjoying a rare night free of responsibilities.

“I’m just saying, a little bit of facial hair makes almost all men more attractive. Look.” Robert said, pointing at a picture of some reality star who had been photographed leaving a nightclub with a girl.

“I suppose so. But he still looks like a prat.” Aaron said, turning the page. “This guy is more like it.”

Robert turned the magazine around to get a good look at the picture.

“John Boyega? You know he’s in Star Wars right? The film I tried to get you to come see with me but you didn’t want to pay to see the, and I quote, ‘sci-fi bullshit’.”

Aaron laughed.

“He’s nice to look at but not nice enough to sit through 50 hours of film.”

From the corner of his eye Robert saw the pub door open and a few people walk in but he paid no attention to them, focusing instead on schooling Aaron on the Star Wars franchise.

“Hi, can I get two pints please?” One of the men who’d just walked in said to Charity who narrowed her eyes at him.

“Did you just move into Jacob’s Fold?”

The man smiled at her.

“We’re about to, yeah. I’m Stephen, that’s my partner Will.” He said, nodding at a man taking a seat at a table.

“Right, right. Just so you know, your landlord is a scumbag. And that’s putting it nicely.” Charity told him and turned away to pour him his drinks.

“I’ll… keep that in mind. Uhm… I don’t suppose you know Robert Sugden, do you?”

“Who wants to know?”

“I used to work on his family’s farm. I was wondering how he’s doing.”

Charity nodded.

“Well, go on over and ask him yourself. He’s over there. Robert, wave.” She said, directing the last part at Robert.

“You what?”

Stephen took his pint from the bar and walked over to Robert and Aaron’s booth.

“Hi, sorry to interrupt… you probably don’t remember me but I’m Stephen… I worked for your father for a summer when I was 16. I think you were a little younger. Maybe 15?”

“Oh… yeah… I uh… I… I think uh… I remember.” Robert stammered and tried not to stare too much. He hadn’t changed much in almost 20 years.

“I just moved into the village with my partner Will. I got a job on Moira Dingle’s farm and she told me you still lived around here… so I thought I’d come say hi and see how you’re doing.”

“I… I… Yeah… hi.  I uh live in the Mill now… with my husband Aaron… and our son Seb. I mean… Sebastian.”

“Oh you have kids now? That’s nice. How old is he?”

“Almost 18 months.” Aaron said when Robert had seemingly lost the ability to speak. “I’m Aaron.”

The two men shook hands and exchanged nice to meet yous.

“Well, I’ll leave you two to it for now. Maybe we can catch up sometime over a drink, Robert? When Will and I have settled in properly.”

“Uh yeah sure, a drink would be nice. It’s uhm good to see you again.”

Stephen smiled.

“Yeah, you too.” He said and walked back to his table on the other side of the pub.

“Are you ok?” Aaron asked Robert who looked like he’d just seen a ghost.

“Yeah… yeah… I’m ok. I’m fine. I just… let’s go home, I’m pretty tired.”

“Sure.”

Aaron slid his phone into his pocket and followed Robert out the door.

They walked back to the Mill hand in hand and settled on the lounge chairs in the garden.

“Of all the villages in England, he has to move into this.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“I don’t know…” Robert mused. ”I just… never thought I’d see him again.”

“He was the lad your dad caught you with, right?” Aaron asked and Robert nodded.

“Yeah. I spent a full summer crushing on him… and then he kissed me. One evening behind the hay bales in the barn. He was the first boy I ever kissed. I suppose he was kind of my first boyfriend.”

“Yeah? You two actually dated?”

“Sort of. It was mostly quick kisses when we were sure no-one was watching and a lot of stolen glances.”

Aaron smiled, imagining a teenage Robert sneaking around his father’s farm with the boy he fancied. Before Jack had made him think liking boys was wrong.

“It didn’t last very long though. A month, month and a half maybe.”

That’s an eternity when you’re 15.”

Robert chuckled.

“Yeah. And look at me now. Almost five years with the same man, married, a little boy, all boring and domestic.”

Aaron leaned over and kissed him.

“Good thing I like boring and domestic.”


End file.
